


What is a Hero?

by DoctorSmoakingQueen



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:07:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29143455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoctorSmoakingQueen/pseuds/DoctorSmoakingQueen
Summary: The crew was sitting in the kitchen eating dinner when Sylvie and Mackey finally returned.“There she is the Hero of the Day.” Hermann said looking at Sylvie. Sylvie chuckled as she shrugged off her coat and walked to the coffee pot. “I’m not a Hero Herm.”She just put her mug in the coffee pot,when the television blared to life with a news program.Good evening, I’m Ashley Myles, and I’m Katie Mulholland and here are your top news stories. A Hero Paramedic talked a young woman off of a fatal jump off of Michigan Avenue Bridge today,
Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 5
Kudos: 79





	What is a Hero?

Sylvie walked into Firehouse 5, it was a bitter cold day Chicago was on the back end of another winter storm; the third this winter and Sylvie was already over it.She walked straight to the locker room and threw her bag into her locker with a huff.

“Whoa, what’s up kid?” 

Sylvie looked up and saw Mouch reading his newspaper on the bench. “Mouch, good morning.”

“Good Morning to you, but it doesn't seem like it's a Good Morning for you right now.”

“I’m Fine.” Sylvie said as she closed her locker and turned to leave.

“Hey kid, I know things are rough with you and Casey right now but it will get better.”

Sylvie looked at Mouch with a puzzled stare. “I notice things Sylvie, yeah I know you tried things out with Grainger and Casey tried things out with Sydney but look where that got you.”

“Mouch, I appreciate the help but that isn't even the biggest problem-.

“Good Morning.” a voice said behind her.Sylvie turned around to see the man of question behind her with a sly smile.”Good morning.” They stared at each other for a minute, causing Mouth to clear his throat.

“Well, I’m going to go see what’s on T.V.” he said as he got up in a hurry.

Casey followed Mouch with his eyes until he exited the room then turned his attention back to Sylvie. “What’s going on with him.” Sylvie sighed and grabbed her jump bag off the bench. “No Idea.” she said as she went to walk past him.

“Hey Sylvie, can we talk for a minute.”

Ambo 61,Truck 81, Engine 51 needed at Michigan Avenue Bridge possible jumper.

Sylvie sighed “Maybe later.” before they ran off to their respective rigs.

As they approached the bridge Sylvie and Mackey saw a bunch of people standing on the bridge. As they got closer they saw they were all talking to a woman who was in a dress and holding on to the bridge for dear life.

All the rigs stopped and they got out, Chief rallying his house and giving them orders. Sylvie looked over to the woman who was shivering and sobbing profusely.Sylvie heard Boden instruct Casey to go try to talk to her.

“Chief, let me talk to her.” Sylvie blurted out. Boden stopped and turned to her. “I think I may know what she is going through,possibly and it is easier for a woman to talk to a woman then a man.No offense Captain.”

Casey smirked “None taken.”

Boden nodded “Alright Brett, good point be careful though the bridge could be slippery.”

“Copy That,Sir.”

Sylvie walked closer and closer to the woman, as she navigated through the crowd she made sure to make sure she kept an eye on the woman thee whole time. She got a good six feet away when the girl on the bridge saw her and screamed out “DON’T GET ANY CLOSER,I’LL JUMP.”

Sylvie stopped and stood still. “Okay,Okay I’ll stay right here. What’s your name?”

“Why do you care? No one cares about me!”

“That’s not true, I’m sure you have someone out there who is looking for you right now.”

“No I don’t I have no one, my boyfriend just dumped me.”

“What about your parents?” 

“They live in Washington.”

“Okay, Okay I’m pretty sure if they knew what was going on they would be here. Why don’t you tell me what this is all about Miss-”

“Gracie, Gracie Chapman.”

“Gracie,that’s a pretty name. My name is Sylvie. I'm a paramedic in charge at firehouse 51, why don’t you come down and we can talk about what’s bothering you, I’m an excellent listener.”

Gracie looked at Sylvie, who glanced back at her sympathetically.  
“No, you wouldn’t understand.” Gracie said looking back down at the water and loosened her grip slightly.

51 started to move closer and closer out of worry, and could now hear what was going on. Casey was glancing at Sylvie and Gracie both with concern.

“Hey Gracie!! Eyes back on me.okay. Listen I will stand here all day if I have to if you need someone to listen to.I’m not going anywhere now.”

Gracie looked back at Sylvie and broke down. “My boyfriend dumped me to go back to his ex, he promised he was over her and he lied!!.”

“I’m sorry, I know how that feels.”

“You do?” Gracie said looking at Sylvie. 

“Yeah, that is my greatest fear to never be good enough for anyone. To always be second place, always feel like you are in someone else’s shadow. I feel that everyday I feel like I have to work twice as hard to make everyone see me as me, and not as someone else.Listen, you know what I know it hurts but sooner or later that pain that you feel it will numb and sooner or later you won’t even feel it. However, if you do this the pain that your parents and your friends and family will feel that will never go away, no matter how much time passes.”

Casey stood within earshot, his eyes never leaving Brett’s as he took everything she said in.

Sylvie saw Gracie nod in understanding. “So how about you come down, we can go get you warmed up and talk some more. What do you say?” 

Gracie looked down for a moment at the water, and then slowly nodded her head and went to turn, when she moved her foot she slipped off the ledge with a scream as she grasped on to the very end of the ledge.

Sylvie ran over and grabbed her hand through the bar. While 51 ran into action. 

“I got you Gracie, hold on to my hand, my friends are coming to get you.” Sylvie said as she grabbed Gracie’s hands with both arms and held them through the bar.

She saw Severide, Cruz and Casey run around her and reach down for Gracie. “Alright Gracie I need you to grab Cruz’s hand. He is the guy to my right, can you do that for me?”

Gracie released one of Sylvie’s hands and grabbed on to Cruz’s “Good now do the same thing with the other hand now.” Sylvie watched as Gracie grabbed Cruz’s other hand and watched as the men pulled Gracie back over the ledge. The crowd applauded and cheered. “Mackey! Blankets!.” Sylvie yelled.

“I’m on it.” Mackey yelled back.

Sylvie saw a hand outstretched to hers and looked up to see Matt standing above her. She grabbed his hand and he pulled her to her feet.She wiped off the snow off her pants and looked at him. “Thank you.”

Casey only nodded and looked towards Gracie who was being walked over to Ambo with Mackey putting blankets on her.

“You saved her life Sylvie.” Casey said, looking back a t Sylvie. “I just did what any other human would do,besides I understand what she is going through.” Sylvie said as she ran towards Ambo.

Casey stared after her and then followed suit, he watched as Sylvie covered Gracie with more blankets.”Chief, we’re going to Med make sure she is okay.”

“Copy, see you back at the house.” Boden said.

Casey saw Sylvie glance at him before closing the Ambo doors and speeding around to the driver’s door.

Mouch stepped up next to Casey. “Whatever you two got going on, fix it. It’s painfully obvious you are miserable without each other.”

Casey looked at Mouch. “It’s complicated.”

“What love story isn’t? Besides Sylvie is a top prize she won’t be around forever.”Mouch slapped him on the shoulder before walking away.

Casey watched as he saw Ambo turn the corner. Later Boden told Kelly and Matt that Gracie was still shaken up and didn’t want Sylvie to leave so he took 61 out of service for the rest of the day.

The crew was sitting in the kitchen eating dinner when Sylvie and Mackey finally returned. 

“There she is the Hero of the Day.” Hermann said looking at Sylvie. Sylvie chuckled as she shrugged off her coat and walked to the coffee pot. “I’m not a Hero Herm.”

She just put her mug in the coffee pot when the television blared to life with a news program.

Good evening, I’m Ashley Myles, and I’m Katie Mulholland and here are your top news stories.A Hero Paramedic talked a young woman off of a fatal jump off of Michigan Avenue Bridge today, 

Everyone turned to the TV

Bystanders say the paramedic talked to the woman until she calmed down enough to get down, but not before rushing to save her life when the woman slipped on the icy ledge. We have video footage. 

Sylvie watched as her speech repeated on the television about being in someone’s shadow. 

“What was that about not being a hero, Kid?” Hermann said chuckling and giving Sylvie a knowing look.

Sylvie smirked and took a gulp of her coffee.

“Just doing my job.” Sylvie said, shrugging. She walked to her bunk and placed the cup of coffee on the stand by her phone and laid back on her bed. She was beat after the long day and since Boden took 61 off service for the rest of shift she figured she could relax until she felt ready to go home.

She closed her eyes for a few minutes before she felt a presence next to her bunk, and from the way her pulse raced and the smell of cologne she knew exactly who it was.

Matt.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. “Hey.” she said.

“Hey,can we talk?” 

Sylvie sighed “Matt, everything that has needed to be said, has been said.” she said as she moved to sit on the edge of her bed.

“Not by me it hasn’t.” 

Sylvie Looked at him and saw the determination in his eyes.”Okay, meet me at my place after shift.” She said as she stood up and marched back towards the locker room.

They needed to have a conversation, she knew that there was so much left unsaid and frankly she was tired of the running in circles and giving him space.

The space was killing her, she missed him.

She missed how she could always seek him out to ask him his opinion on something. She missed having someone other than Kidd or Mackey to talk to and she just missed his presence in general.

So they would talk and find out where they stood and what the next step would be.

As she walked into the locker room, she saw Mouch rummaging through his locker. He looked up and smiled at her. “Heading home?”

“Yeah I was going to relax here for a bit but I need my bed.”

Casey ran into the locker room. “Hey, don’t forget this.”

Casey handed out her cell phone to her.

“Thanks.” she said smiling at him.

“You are welcome.” Casey smirked back and left, with Sylvie’s eyes watching him.

“Hey Kid?”

Sylvie looked back at Mouch. “Don’t give up on him.” Mouch said as he walked past her leaving her puzzled.

###

Sylvie woke up to her phone ringing and groggily grabbed it from her nightstand.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sorry did I wake you.” she heard Matt’s voice sounding concerned.

“No, well I mean yeah but it’s okay.”

“Well I got here and knocked on the door and no answer so I got worried.”

“Oh shoot, hang on i’ll let you in.”

Sylvie hung up and ran into the bathroom splashing water on her face, and brushing her teeth which she wondered why she was doing that but she felt like she needed to do it. 

She ran to the door and swung it open. Casey stared at her and looked down causing her to look down and realizing in her anxious pace to open the door she forgot to put her sweatpants on which left her in her sleep shorts which showed off her legs. “I’m sorry, come in just give me one second.”

Casey walked into the apartment as Sylvie ran into her bedroom and shut the door, reemerging a few minutes later fully clothed.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” Matt said smiling.

“I’m sorry, after that last shift I was beat and I came home and crashed.” she said smiling.

“That’s okay, I was just worried about you.”

“I’m fine Matt.”

“I’ve missed that.”

“What?”

“You calling me Matt, it's been a minute.”

“Yeah look, I’m sorry about the distance and the cold shoulder.”Sylvie said as she looked down.

“Sylvie, it’s not your fault. If anything it has been mine, all mine.”

“Matt-”

“The answer is no by the way.” Matt cut in. “If Gabby came back I wouldn’t go with her.”

“You wouldn’t?” Sylvie said stunned. 

“No because everything I want is right here.”Matt stood toe to toe with Sylvieand tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you a solid answer when you needed it, my head was so clouded with what was happening in the moment I couldn't think straight. I wouldn’t leave Sylvie because that would mean leaving you, and I don’t want to do that. I will always love Gabby for what she did for me, but I’m not in love with her. Gabby hasn’t been on my mind in a really long time, you have been.”

“Me?”

“Yes you,like how your smile lights up even the darkest room, or how you see the best in people and are always there to give them a chance. So here I am asking you to give me one more chance to prove to you that I won’t leave because you Sylvie Brett will never be the second choice in my eyes or in anyone’s eyes because your light casts out any shadow that you think you have around you. You say you are not a hero Sylvie, but that is not true you are a hero you save people everyday whether just by doing your job or just being you. You are a savior Sylvie Brett, and I should know since I’m a person you saved, without either one of us knowing it.”

“What if you change your mind,what if you realize that I’m-”

Casey dropped his head and connected his lips to hers, slanting his mouth over hers and running his tongue over her bottom lip begging for entry to which she agreed to. They stayed like that for a few minutes just wrapped in each other’s arms, Casey pulled back and rested his head against her forehead.

“Because eventually after Gabby left I was okay,but this time away from you has driven me crazy. I don’t- can’t lose you. So can you please just stop with the doubts and know I am not going anywhere no matter how hard and much you push me away. I love you, Sylvie Brett. You are the only one who is on my mind, and the only one I want on my mind if you want to be there too.”

Sylvie looked up at him and beamed her bright white smile.”I love you too, Matt Casey.”

Matt smiled and ducked his head down capturing her lips again and lifting her up.

For the third time that day Sylvie closed her bedroom door, except this time she didn't expect to open it for the next day and a half.  
Besides, even heroes deserve a day of rest, even if no rest was to be had.


End file.
